> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.albanyscanner.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # A career crossroads brought Mads Tolling to Albany - URL: https://www.albanyscanner.com/2026/08/21/arts-culture/mads-tolling-albany/ - Published: 2026-08-21T07:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-24T04:45:04.000Z - Description: Tolling performs at Herbst Theatre with the San Francisco Civic Summer Workshop this Sunday. - Author: Andrew Gilbert - Tags: Arts & Culture, Albany Hill, #articles In the fall of 2003, Mads Tolling faced a stark but enviable crossroads. The Danish-born violinist had started making waves on the American jazz scene as a student at Boston’s [Berklee College of Music](https://www.berklee.edu/?ref=albanyscanner.com), where he’d been spotted as a standout talent by jazz violin star Jean-Luc Ponty. As the first violinist offered a spot at the [Thelonious Monk Institute](https://hancockinstitute.org/?ref=albanyscanner.com), the nation’s most elite jazz graduate program, he could have settled in Los Angeles, “where I would have probably ended up doing a lot of session work in the LA studios,” he said. At the same time, after several concerts with [Turtle Island Quartet](https://turtleislandquartet.com/?ref=albanyscanner.com), the pioneering jazz string ensemble recruited him for the viola chair. Though he hadn’t played the instrument, Tolling decided to forgo further studies and signed on with the group just as it embarked on a series of ambitious projects. “That decision put me on a different trajectory,” he said. It was a path that included two Grammy Awards and tours with Cuban reed legend Paquito D’Rivera and the celebrated Assad Brothers classical guitar duo. It’s also what led him to settle on [Albany Hill](https://www.albanyscanner.com/topic/albany-hill/), where he still lives today. Tolling pays homage to saxophonist Sam Rivers at the Albany Bulb. **Courtesy* Violinist [David Balakrishnan](https://turtleislandquartet.com/musicians/david-balakrishnan/?ref=albanyscanner.com), Turtle Island’s co-founder and director, is a longtime Albany resident, and Tolling figured it would make the commute to rehearsals traffic-proof. The Albany lifestyle looked pretty good, too. “I remember going down with the group for dinner on Solano and having a real good feel about this place,” he said. “I thought, I could live here. It seemed like a nice, sleepy town, centrally located. I could get to most places within an hour.” Since leaving Turtle Island in 2012 and launching a solo career Tolling has thrived, performing internationally and close to home in a daunting array of musical contexts. In the coming weeks he performs with jazz combos and rock bands, a chamber orchestra and solo with looping. He’s also keeping a foot in the Grateful Dead universe he joined in 2021 as a member of [The Wolfpack](https://bobweir.net/just-announced-bobby-weir-wolf-bros-featuring-the-wolfpack-return-this-september/?ref=albanyscanner.com), the strings-and-brass quintet that augmented Bob Weir & Wolf Bros. And that’s just in the Bay Area. On Sunday, Aug. 23, Tolling performs his stylistically expansive violin concerto “Yggdrasil” at Herbst Theatre with the [San Francisco Civic Summer Workshop.](https://www.sfcivicmusic.org/calendar?ref=albanyscanner.com) Commissioned by Lawrence Kohl and the Pacific Chamber Orchestra, the concerto premiered at the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church in 2018. He’s performed it half a dozen times since then and, at Herbst, like at the premiere, it’s paired with Copland’s “Appalachian Spring,” which features largely the same instrumentation, “though I added percussion and violin,” Tolling said. “It’s based on my interest in Norse mythology. As a kid, I believed in Odin and Thor.” He rejoins the great vocalist Kenny Washington and ace pianist John R. Burr, his frequent collaborators, Aug. 28 at the [Sound Room in Oakland](https://www.soundroom.org/events?ref=albanyscanner.com) and Sept. 5 at [Meyhouse in San Ramon](https://www.meyhousejazz.com/sanramon?ref=albanyscanner.com). Tolling joins keyboardist guitarist Jerry Harrison’s 50 Years of Talking Heads project at the [Sound Summit festival](https://www.soundsummit.net/?ref=albanyscanner.com) in Mount Tamalpais State Park on Sept. 12, and plays duo with pianist/accordionist Sam Reider at [Fifth Street Farms in Berkeley](https://fifthstfarms.com/?ref=albanyscanner.com) on Sept. 22. He’s also got several solo gigs that focus on his lapidary use of looping, a Hawaii hit with organist Melvin Seals and JGB, and some East Coast performances with Mads Tolling and the Mads Men, a group featuring his sleek arrangements of popular songs from the 1960s. There’s plenty of demand for Tolling’s talents around the country, but he’s comfortable working close to home. “I’m at El Cerrito Plaza for shopping and I love Solano for restaurants,” he said. “I play tennis at Albany High, and kick a soccer ball around at Memorial Park. I go to the Hotsy Totsy and Club Mallard. I love to walk on the hill and out to Albany Bulb, one of my favorite places.” A vocal Albany booster, Tolling feels his presence could be higher at home. He notes that he’s never performed at the city’s highest profile venue, the Ivy Room. “I’ve got to set up a show and make that happen,” he said. He does, however, work regularly out of public sight at [Belmont Village Albany](https://www.belmontvillage.com/locations/albany-berkeley-california/?ref=albanyscanner.com). Introduced to the assisted living facility by guitarist [David Sturdevant](https://medicineballmusic.bandcamp.com/?ref=albanyscanner.com), the indefatigable bandleader who’s director of music at Oakland’s Plymouth Jazz and Justice Church, Tolling performs his solo looping music or duo with classical pianist Ian Scarfe. “We play Greek tunes, classical pieces, Gershwin,” he said. “It’s nice to have a local gig.” *Have questions for Albany Scanner, or want to share story tips?* [*Here's how to reach us*](https://www.albanyscanner.com/tips/)*.* ## Sign up for Albany Scanner Stories for an informed community Get updates Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.